13-inch Apple MacBook Air

Amazing battery life -- yes, you can web-surf for more than 12 hours straight -- makes the 13-inch Apple MacBook Air tough to beat. It keeps everything good about the previous Air and drops the price tag. Experts can scarcely find anything to criticize, wholeheartedly recommending it over and over.

Breaking it down

Performance

All-day battery life. Apple says that the 13-inch Air will deliver "up to 12 hours" of Wi-Fi web surfing or movie playback, but professional reviewers regularly squeeze out even more -- nearly 16 hours in PCMag.com's trials, easily outdistancing top Windows ultraportable competitors. "While those other laptops may take you through your workday, the MacBook Air can also take you through your morning commute, your lunch hour, and your evening," Brian Westover says. The price cut helps makes the Air a good value considering its hardware lineup, including 1.4 GHz Intel Core i5 processor (4th generation), 4 GB of memory, a 128 GB flash drive, and integrated Intel HD Graphics 5000. Upgrades are possible, but pricey, and can only be done at the time of purchase. But even in the base configuration, there's plenty of power for everyday tasks and even casual but still satisfying gaming.

Ergonomics

Travels light, feels great. Its ergonomics are largely unchanged, but critics rave about the 13-inch MacBook Air's backlit keyboard and glass trackpad, and at about less than .7 inches thick (maximum, tapering down to just .11 inches) and less than 3 pounds, you'll barely notice it when you carry it around. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capabilities help on the road, but you'll need a separate adapter if you want an Ethernet connection. The lack of an optical drive and HDMI port annoy some reviewers, but only mildly, while the inclusion of an SDXC memory card reader -- missing on the 11-inch MacBook Air (Est. $900 and up) -- rates a thumbs up. There's no touch screen, because Mac OS X doesn't use touch. For those who run Windows 8 on this laptop, the large, responsive trackpad makes the omission less of an issue than it might seem.

Design

Same as it ever was. Almost every ultraportable on Earth takes its cues from the MacBook Air, which remains largely unchanged from previous versions. That leads some reviewers, such as CNET, to chide the MacBook Air's design as being "static," and missing some bells and whistles such as edge-to-edge glass and higher resolution screens. Indeed, the Air keeps its 13-inch screen at just 1,440 by 900 pixels, which is somewhat low-resolution compared to its rivals, including the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display (Est. $1,300 and up). Some competitors are slightly slimmer and lighter as well, but so slightly that Westover calls the differences "almost imperceptible." Laptop magazine finds the design to still be "svelte and elegant"

Support and reliability

The gold standard. Year after year, Apple's rock-solid reliability leaves other laptop brands in the dust in PCMag.com's reader survey. Users say Apple products rarely break down, and if they do, the company's support staff is friendly and helpful. Tech support is just as outstanding. Laptop Magazine staffers hit Apple with anonymous questions and get great help via phone and web. Any Mac owner can bring a laptop in for free help at a Genius Bar with a reservation, but the one-year warranty includes just 90 days of phone help. Laptop's Mark Spoonauer calls the current edition of the Air "sturdy," then adds: "We've used another 13-inch Air for a few years in a row without so much as a dent or worn-down key."

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Nikon D3200

Best digital SLR for beginners

Bottom line

The entry-level Nikon D3200 has a few tricks up its sleeve that make it super-easy for beginners to use, plus some high-end specs like a mega-high-resolution sensor that you won't find even on some pricier cameras. It fits 24 megapixels into a compact and lightweight body, and reviewers call it a "DSLR with training wheels."

Ease of use

One of the easiest to use. "This is one of the easiest-to-use DSLRs out there," DCResource.com's Jeff Keller says, and other reviewers agree. As with any DSLR, you can simply set the D3200 to Auto and click away while the camera does the rest. But if you want to learn more, the camera's Guide Mode will teach you as you shoot, "like a DSLR with training wheels," says Dan Havlik at Imaging-Resource.com.
The camera's body weighs just 1 pound, so it's "small and light enough to carry around every day," Keller adds. Testers find it comfortable to hold, with buttons and dials located exactly where you'd expect to find them. The 3-inch LCD screen is bright and clear and you can frame your shot in Live View, but experts say autofocus is sluggish this way, so it's better to look through the optical viewfinder.

Performance

Snappy speed and pretty photos, but don't expect miracles. In reviews, the Nikon D3200's real attention-grabber is its 24.2-megapixel compact image sensor. This is a significant achievement in a budget DSLR: "For an entry-level camera, this is exciting," says Tim Coleman at Amateur Photographer. This compact-sensor camera captures outstanding detail -- as much as some pro-quality, full-frame-sensor DSLRs -- and still handles dim light up to ISO 3,200 quite well. One drawback to note: The D3200's whopping megapixels mean whopping file sizes on your computer. Its battery is rated for 540 shots on a single charge: "Good enough for a typical day of stills shooting with some video capture and image review in between."

Durability

Lightweight but sturdy. "Despite being made of plastic (err, composite materials), it still feels very solid," Keller says of the Nikon D3200 at DCResource.com. "Lightweight does not mean poor quality," agrees Amateur Photographer's Coleman. He points out that the D3200's plastic body and faux-leather hand and thumb grips are identical to the Nikon D5100 (Est. $480 (with kit lens)) , the next model up the Nikon ladder. Ken Rockwell notes that the D3200's lens mount and tripod socket are both metal: "This is perfect," he says. "It's lightweight, and the durable parts are still metal." In fact, "about the only construction weak spot is the door over the memory card slot," Keller reports.

Features

Nikon adds new extras, but still leaves a few out. The Nikon D3200 includes a few impressive features, reviews say, but omits some niceties you'll find on other cameras. There's a jack so you can add your own stereo microphone, which is ideal when shooting movies as the built-in mono mic doesn't impress. There's also manual control over video, so you can adjust things such as aperture and mic level. Optional accessories include a $20 wireless remote and a $60 USB dongle that can beam photos wirelessly to your Android or iOS smartphone or tablet. On the downside, the LCD panel is static and won't flip out or swivel. However, a movable screen lets you see what you're doing with odd-angle shots like when shooting above a crowd.

strength:

• Ultra-high-resolution, 24-megapixel sensor
• Compact and lightweight
• Shoots 1080p full HD video with manual control

weakness:

• Overall image quality no better than lower-res cameras
• Huge resolution means huge files
• Sluggish autofocus in Live View and Movie mode

buy now...!!!

Google Nexus 10

A jaw-dropping 2560-by-1600-pixel ultra-high-resolution display paired with a powerful new Samsung Exynos processor makes the Google Nexus 10 (Est. $450) the most compelling Android alternative to the fourth-generation Apple iPad . The lightweight slate is well built, but the lack of tablet-optimized Android apps hurts. The Google Nexus 10 includes the newest version of the Android operating system.

Performance

Powerful and pretty. The Samsung Exynos 5 Dual processor powering the Nexus 10 and its display provides punchy and responsive performance, although the ultra-high resolution can cause the most cutting-edge of 3D games to hiccup a bit as they struggle to fill all those pixels. Everyday performance screams along just fine, and reviewers say the audio is loud and excellent. On the downside, battery life is just average and the micro-USB charger fills the battery slowly.

Features

Android's latest software. Aside from the stunning display, the Nexus 10's biggest claim to fame is the inclusion of Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, the latest build of Google's operating system. This upgrade adds a 360-degree panoramic photo mode with the 5-megapixel rear camera, multi-user login capabilities, enhanced security features, a much-improved virtual keyboard and support for the Miracast streaming wireless display standard. As a flagship Nexus device, the 10 should also receive timely operating system updates.
Reviewers' two biggest criticisms are a complete lack of expandable storage or cellular data capabilities and the poor state of the Google Play Store from a tablet perspective. Simply put, developers simply haven't created many tablet-optimized Android apps, much less any capable of admirably taking advantage of the Nexus 10's plentiful pixels. The Nexus 10's high-quality overall package makes it an enticing proposition at $450, which is less than the fourth-generation iPad. But just be sure you're happy with the Android app selection before spurning Apple's tablet.

Ease of use

A mote in the high-resolution eye. Navigation is simple most of the time, but the Retina-beating display has one weakness: poor viewing at off-center angles. Experts say the Nexus 10's lightweight and thin build makes it easy to hold for hours on end, but if you're looking for something a bit more portable, they point to the 7-inch, quad-core processor-powered Google Nexus 7 (Est. $230 and up) as an alternative. It's also available in a cellular data-equipped version (Est. $310). 
 strength :

• Highest-resolution display available
• Powerful performance
• Android 4.2 operating system
• Good build quality

weakness :

• No expandable storage or cellular options
• Limited tablet-optimized Android apps available

 Buy now...!!!

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014 Edition)

The Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 (Est. $450) boasts powerful performance and productivity-focused features such as the touch-sensitive S Pen stylus and an efficient multitasking mode. There's even an IR remote to control home-theater electronics, along with a host of other extras. But if you don't need those bells and whistles, other tablets deliver just as much performance and nicer screens for a similar price. Performance Fast on the inside, fuzzy on the outside. Reviewers say the quad-core Exynos processor powering the Galaxy Note 10.1 screams through tasks and responds in a snap, although there's a hint of lag when you have two apps open simultaneously. The S Pen works well most of the time, but isn't 100 percent accurate. Battery life is epic, and audio rings out loud and clear. The screen's brightness outshines the competition, but experts say the 1280-by-800-pixel resolution is a disappointment in a premium Android tablet. That's the same resolution found in the 7-inch Amazon Kindle Fire HD and Google Nexus 7 (Est. $230 and up) , and less than that of the highly regarded Google Nexus 10 (Est. $350 and up) . Features Stacked with extras. The entire Galaxy Note 10.1 experience revolves around the touch-sensitive S Pen stylus; the tablet ships with several drawing and handwriting apps designed to take full advantage of the input device. Unfortunately, few Android apps aside from those support stylus functionality, although Samsung's helpful S Suggest app identifies stylus-friendly apps in the Google Play Store to which the Galaxy Note 10.1 has full access. The device includes an IR blaster paired with the Peel Remote Control app, along with Samsung's AllShare Play app that lets you stream pictures and movies to DLNA-compatible TVs on the same Wi-Fi network. Additional apps make sharing with other Samsung mobile devices seamless. Galaxy Note 10.1 owners also get a free two-year, 50 GB Dropbox cloud storage subscription, which augments the 16 GB of onboard storage that's comparatively paltry for a premium tablet. The tablet's two cameras work well, but aren't anything special. The base Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 sports only Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, but 4G LTE-equipped versions are now available for AT&T and Verizon networks. Ease of use Little to complain about. This 10-inch tablet is a bit heavier than its competitors, but we see no complaints about the Galaxy Note 10.1 being too bulky. As noted, the quad-core processor proves highly responsive, although some lag occurs when two apps are open simultaneously in multitasking mode. Reflections make it difficult to see the screen if you move too far to one side, although reviewers say this shouldn't be a problem in everyday use. strength : S Pen stylus and handwriting/drawing apps IR remote functionality Side-by-side app multitasking Great performance .weakness : Relatively low-resolution display Few stylus-friendly apps available . Buy now...!!!

Sony Xperia Tablet Z

The Sony Xperia Tablet Z (Est. $500 and up) is a capable 10-inch tablet that performs well, but doesn't do any one thing particularly outstandingly. However, reviewers rave about how lightweight it is. Its unique selling point of being water-resistant to a depth of three feet for 30 minutes is useful if you plan on using your tablet around water, but otherwise you may find all the flaps covering the plug-ins for connectors and headphones a bit annoying.

Performance

OK performance. The Sony Xperia Tablet Z's performance draws neither raves nor complaints. It has a fast processor and good graphics, though its "better than full-HD" resolution isn't quite up to that of the Google Nexus 10 screen (Est. $350 and up) or that of the iPad (Est. $500 and up). Reviewers also report that the Xperia Tablet Z's speakers are passable.

Features

Ultra-stylish and thin. The design of this 10-inch tablet is the wow factor and matches the thin, sleek and smart design of the Sony Xperia smartphone. Sony claims that the Xperia Tablet Z is the thinnest 10-inch tablet in the world, being a mere 0.27 inch thick -- a pencil is 0.35 inch thick. The unique selling point of this tablet, though, is that it's waterproof, to three feet deep. Several reviewers tested this out by holding their tablets under running water for 10 minutes or more, and found this claim to be true. Unlike some other tablets, the Tablet Z has expandable storage, an HDMI connection to connect to your TV, an IR blaster to control your TV, and Near Field Communication as well as Bluetooth connectivity.

Ease of use

Water-resistant. Reviewers key in on the incredibly light weight of the Xperia Tablet Z and state that it means that you can easily hold it for extended periods of time. A reviewer reports that the soft-touch, tactile finish of the rear of the tablet is prone to fingerprints, and another calls it "the biggest fingerprint magnet we have ever seen." Because the Xperia Tablet Z is water-resistant, there are flaps covering all the ports, so you have to lift them up to access all the connections and headphone sockets. Operating system-wise, Sony has added its own tweaks to the latest version of Android, including themes and shortcut icons, to make it more user-friendly.
strength :

• Very light in weight
• Water-resistant
• Remote TV and media device control
• Expandable storage

weakness :

• Flaps cover all slots
• OK performance

Buy now...!!!

cyberpower FangBook Evo HX7-200

A gaming laptop that's a great bang for your buck, the CyberPower FangBook Evo HX7-200 packs everything you probably want and more into a sturdy boutique body for a reasonable price. You get the latest Haswell processor, powerful Nvidia graphics, Blu-ray Disc drive and more, but size suffers. Prepare to haul around more than 10 pounds of notebook to get your gaming fix.

Performance

Outpaces older gaming notebooks. The FangBook Evo HX7-200 was already one of experts' favorite gaming laptops before it got a Core i7-4700MQ Intel Haswell processor. "Our Worldbench 8.1 benchmark suite is still relatively new, so we haven't amassed a large collection of scores that we can compare to the FangBook Evo, but a Notebook Worldbench 8.1 score of 417 indicates the FangBook is clearly in a different league," PC World writes. The only way to get a better gaming laptop? Drop $3,000 to $4,000 or so on one with even more powerful graphics. That'll get you higher frame rates at max settings, but rest assured, the FangBook can handle any title you throw at it. Of course, you can always configure your Evo HX7-200 for more power when you buy it. Battery life isn't great with the last-gen processor -- just over two hours, about average for a gaming laptop -- but the energy-efficient Haswell chip should improve that (however, while the Evo has now been out a while, no expert review we could spot directly addresses that).

Ergonomics

"As elegant as a water buffalo." This is one of those old-school, 2-inch-thick gaming cinderblocks. It tips the scales at 8.5 pounds, plus the 2.2-pound power brick you'll haul wherever you go, and looks "about as elegant as a water buffalo," PC World says. That's not unusual for a serious gaming laptop, but the 4-pound Razer Blade (Est. $1,800 and up) , our Best Reviewed choice, is sleek by comparison. There's no touch screen and the trackpad isn't multi-touch, but gamers will probably use the keyboard and an external mouse, anyway. A full array of ports includes wired Ethernet, as well as a memory card reader and Blu-ray Disc drive, all of which the Razer jettisons in the name of skinniness.

Design

Big screen, nice speakers. Unlike the Razer Blade, which could almost pass for a MacBook, there's nothing subtle about the FangBook's design. "CyberPowerPC wants the FangBook to stop traffic," HotHardware.com says, so it's wrapped in "what looks like space-age armor." Reminiscent of RoboCop, angular black and silver panels surround a glowing red CyberPowerPC logo on the lid. Inside, the Evo HX7-200's 17.3-inch, full 1080p HD screen is perfect for gaming and watching Blu-ray movies. Even the audio sounds really good for a laptop, thanks to stereo speakers with an integrated subwoofer.

Support and reliability

Most improved (for desktops). In 2011 and 2012, PCMag.com surveyed its readers to find the most reliable computers. The first year, CyberPower desktops had "by far the worst repair rate of any company," but by 2012 it had soared to second place among all brands. At the time there weren't enough CyberPower laptop owners to make the ratings, and the brand doesn't appear at all in the 2013 survey. The FangBook comes with a standard one-year warranty, plus lifetime tech support.

Value

Do you mind buying in bulk? If you're a gamer, the FangBook Evo HX7-200 has all the features you probably want. If you're looking for the most powerful gaming laptop under $2,000, look no further. But it's gargantuan. If you can do without the Blu-ray Disc drive and a few ports, you can get competitive power from the Best Reviewed Razer Blade in a 4-pound, Ultrabook-thin package that you can actually carry around.

strength :

• Powerful gaming performance
• Big 1,080p display
• Nice speakers

weakness :

• Not very portable at 10 pounds plus
• Battery life questionable
• No touch screen

Buy now...!!!

Acer Aspire S7

Breathtakingly slim and gorgeous, the aluminum and glass Acer Aspire S7 wows testers with swift performance to match. Only a lower-resolution though still very nice display keeps it from the top of the Windows Ultrabook pack. Performance Super-fast, and the battery lasts. The newest configurations of the Acer Aspire S7 (the Acer Aspire S7-392) come with the latest Intel Core processors code-named Haswell -- choose between Core i5 and Core i7 -- 8 GB RAM instead of 4 GB and faster RAID 0 solid-state drives. The integrated graphics chip with 128 MB of dedicated system memory is fine for light gaming. Battery life is good at 8.5 hours in tests, but is bested by other Haswell-based machines and trounced by some, such as the 13-inch MacBook Air (Est. $1,050 and up) . Ergonomics One of the thinnest you can buy. The Acer S7's stellar touch screen makes navigating Windows 8 a breeze: You can pinch, tap and swipe to your heart's content. However, the display is lower resolution than some competitors. For example, the Samsung ATIV Book 9 Plus (Est. $1,400) boasts a QuadHD+ 3,200-by-1,800-pixel screen. At just a half-inch thick and well under 3 pounds, the Acer is even thinner and lighter than the 13-inch Air, but its svelte profile is matched by other Windows Ultraportables, including Samsung's offering, which also weighs nearly a half-pound less. If the absolute lightest laptop is a must, the 1.9-pound Sony Vaio Pro 11 (Est. $1,150 and up) blows both away, though at the expense of lower performance. Keyboard ergonomics are upgraded from earlier-generation S7's, but Laptop Magazine holds that there's still some room for improvement. Port selection is still slim, as usual for an Ultrabook; you get two USB 3.0 jacks, an HDMI port, headphone jack and memory card slot. Design Gorgeous design, with a few practical bobbles. Critics wholeheartedly agree that few laptops look as stunning as the S7. Its tapered aluminum unibody looks minimalist and clean, with a scratch-resistant white Gorilla Glass lid. CNET complains that the glass-covered lid does feel a little top-heavy, however. Laptop Magazine notes that the lid is a hair shorter than the deck, resulting in "a configuration that is interesting to look at, but makes opening the notebook a bit of a hassle." The sturdy hinge takes a little more effort to move past 100 degrees or so, but PCMag.com notes that it gives the S7 "a rock solid screen during touch operations, without the bounce you'll see in some other touch ultrabooks." Support and reliability Facebook and Twitter are best for tech support. Acer's one-year warranty is nothing special and doesn't win it a Readers' Choice award at PCMag.com, whose editors consider reliability. It does score highest among all brands for ease of setup, however, with everything almost always working perfectly right out of the box. Acer's tech support continues to improve according to this year's Laptop Magazine tech support "showdown" but scores relatively poorly in the site's rankings of best and worst laptop brands. Value The best doesn't come cheap. You can get Haswell-powered Ultrabooks for less cash, but they won't have the Acer Aspire S7's super-svelte body or gorgeous design. However, some competitors have closed the distance -- if not caught up -- by delivering systems with similar performance, similar build quality, similar profiles, but added features such as higher-resolution screens.
strength :

• Exquisite design
• 1,080p HD (or more) touch screen
• Incredibly thin, light
• Fast performance
• Improved keyboard, battery life

weakness:
Screen resolution falls short of some competitors

Buy now...!!!